Kayode Fayemi: Disciple, Friend, Foe — Or the Ultimate South-West Political Chameleon?

The Slow Poison and the Chameleon of South-West Politics

If you have followed Nigerian politics closely, studied its personalities and watched how political alliances are formed and broken, then Buba Galadima’s recent revelation on Channels Television will probably not come as a complete surprise.

But it is important to separate allegation from established fact.

Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), recently alleged that former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi is coordinating a seven-man opposition group working towards defeating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. Galadima said he was part of the group and claimed that discussions were already making progress. Fayemi’s media team has, however, rejected the allegation, insisting that there is no truth in it and that Fayemi remains committed to the APC.

That denial notwithstanding, the allegation has reopened an old question about Fayemi’s political journey.

Who exactly is John Olukayode Folorunso Fayemi — disciple, friend, foe, or something in between?

Fayemi is not an ordinary political figure. He emerged from the June 12 pro-democracy struggle, played a significant role in the establishment and operation of Radio Kudirat while in exile, and became one of the prominent voices against military dictatorship. His credentials include a doctorate in War Studies from King’s College London.

He eventually moved from activism into electoral politics.

In 2007, he contested the Ekiti governorship election on the platform of the Action Congress. The PDP candidate, Segun Oni, was initially declared winner, but Fayemi challenged the result. After a prolonged legal battle lasting more than three years, the courts eventually recognised Fayemi as the winner in 2010.

This is where the Tinubu connection becomes politically significant.

Fayemi became part of the political family around the AC/ACN structure associated with Bola Tinubu. His political rise therefore cannot be discussed without acknowledging the broader South-West coalition that helped create the platform on which he eventually became governor.

Fayemi later became Minister of Mines and Steel Development under President Muhammadu Buhari and, in 2019, was unanimously elected Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

Then came the 2023 presidential race.

Fayemi sought the APC presidential ticket alongside Tinubu and several other heavyweight aspirants. But at the party’s June 2022 convention, Fayemi stepped down and publicly endorsed Tinubu.

That episode alone demonstrates something fundamental about Fayemi:

He understands political calculation.

He is not the politician who necessarily shouts the loudest. He is the intellectual, soft-spoken operator who can wait, reposition and choose his moment.

That is why some critics call him the “South-West Maradona.”

And this is where the chameleon analogy enters the conversation.

A chameleon changes colour to survive its environment. A strategist changes tactics to survive the political battlefield.

The question is whether Fayemi is one, the other, or both.

There have also been longstanding political disputes surrounding his relationship with APC power brokers. Former APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole has previously criticised Fayemi over internal party politics, while commentators have accused Fayemi and other governors of playing roles in the struggle surrounding Oshiomhole’s leadership. Some commentators have also alleged that Fayemi was involved in political manoeuvring around the 2020 Edo election. Those remain contested political claims, not established facts.

Yet Fayemi’s political style has always invited interpretation.

He can appear conciliatory today and fiercely critical tomorrow. He can stand within the ruling establishment while simultaneously questioning elements of its direction.

That ambiguity is precisely what makes him politically fascinating — and, to his critics, dangerous.

Tinubu himself once warned about the temporary nature of political loyalty, describing politicians’ words as being like “butter under a burning sun” when loyalty is not demonstrated in action.

Whether that statement was aimed at Fayemi is another matter entirely. But in the current political climate, the metaphor has acquired renewed relevance.

Now Galadima has thrown another stone into the pond.

If his allegation is true, Fayemi would be playing a remarkable political game: an APC stalwart helping coordinate opposition figures against the sitting APC president.

If the allegation is false, then Fayemi has once again demonstrated why his name remains central to political speculation.

Either way, the controversy has achieved something important: it has placed Kayode Fayemi back at the centre of the 2027 conversation.

And that may be the point.

Fayemi has a background in political strategy, conflict studies and democratic mobilisation. His doctorate is literally in War Studies. His career has moved from underground resistance and Radio Kudirat to governorship, federal cabinet and national political leadership.

So perhaps calling him “slow poison” is too simplistic.

Perhaps he is simply a man who understands that Nigerian politics is a long game.

The loud politician announces his intentions.

The strategist keeps his options open.

The chameleon changes colour.

And the political Maradona waits for the next ball.

The Bible puts the danger of betrayal even more dramatically in Matthew 10:36: “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”

Whether Fayemi is a betrayer, strategist, opposition coordinator, loyal APC member or merely an unwilling participant in somebody else’s political narrative remains a question for time to answer.

For now, one thing is undeniable:

Kayode Fayemi has never been finished politically.

He has simply been waiting.

The only question is:

Waiting for what?

If you say destruction… na you sabi.

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Inspired by Tayo Lawal

Email: manteedetlaw@gmail.com